Process of making waterproof composition and product produced thereby



Patented Mar. 22,1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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PROCESS OI MAKRI'G WATERPROOF COMPOSITION AN D PRODUCT PRODUCED THERE-BY.

K0 Drawing. Application illed ootober 20, 1980, Serial No. 418,816. Renewed October 8, 1828.

This invention relates to improvements in the production of a, waterproof pa er, a felted web in which a normally ad esive waterproofing agent, such as asphalt, is 'incorporated in the paper simultaneously with the web-formin operation.

Among its sa 'ent objects are to provide a process whereby the asphalt or other bituminous or hydrocarbon material of a normally adhesive character is made tempo= rarily non-adhesive; to provide a process whereby this transformation to a non-adhesive state is accomplishedbya process of dispersion into water by means of an emulsifying agent, a process whereby waterproof compositions, such as paper, fabrics, felts, and the like, similar to those used in the manufacture of prepared roofings, may be made with the waterproofing substances intimately incorporated in the stock of the composition instead of being saturated or coated as is the usual practice; to provide a process whereby the finely dispersed particles of asphalt, tar, pitches of vegetable, animal or mineral origin, resins or resinous materials to be incorporated .with the fibre, felt or paper stock are emulsified with a water and an emulsifying agent so that.

each particle of the adhesive substance is surrounded by non-adhesive films, which are subsequently removed after the web has been dried at which time the waterproofing substance assumes its normal adhesive state; to provide a process in which relatively high melting pomt asphalt, such as oxidized asphalt, may 'be temporarily modified to a low melting point and subsequently returned to substantially its original state; to provide a process in which the bituminous material under oing emulsification is superficially reacted upon to produce a non-adhesive rotective film, and to provide a process in w 'ch the bituminous material is converted to a form in which it can be readily precipitated upon the fibres.

This process resides in the conversion of asphalt, or other bituminous or hydrocar- D011 materials, which are normally adhesive in nature, to a finely divided non-adhesive form and in incorporating the same with pap: stock, felt or fibrous material in the ma 'ng of waterproof composition. This hesive material in the internal phase and.

a water in the external phase.

Heretofore, asphalts have been combined with paper stock and felted or fibrous material by grinding the mineral asphalt or hydrocarbon materials and combining them while in a solid state. The product from this combination is not altogether satisfactory as the asphalt does not incorporate itself with the fibrous materials nor does it coalesce to the extent the asphalt doeswhen combined in an emulsified form.

It is essential in making this emulsion that suificient water is added to keep the emulsion in the proper form. that is, it is necessary that the water be in the external phase and the adhesive or asphaltic material in the internal phase. This is important, due to the fact that when the emulsion is combined with the paper stock or fibrous In order to produce the emulsion referred to I use cla containing a large proportion of colloida material as the emulsifyin agent, but obviously other finely divided powders, which produce an emulsion of a non-adhesive. character, may be used.

The process may be run as a batch or continuous process and success may be obtainedwith eit er type, if the proportions of the ingredients used are carefully added.

More specifically, in the making of this emulsion I flux asphalt by heating with oleic acid and thoroughly mix them together. The most advantageous temperature for this combination .depends primarily upon the melting point of the asphalt. This combination, while molten, is then emulsified with clay in colloidal form, held in suspension in a water vehicle. A thorough emulsification may be obtained by violent agitation of the two during the mixture.

After these materials have been thoroughly emulsified, the-emulsion is added to any suitable fibrous stock. such as that put over a paper machine. This stock may consist of rags, papers, or other fibrous stock. The fibrous stock and emulsion are then mixed in heaters until the emulsion is thoroughly incorporated throughout the fibres. To this mixture is then added a solution of lime or analogous agent, such as alum, which will react to form insoluble and precipitable oleates. The addition of the oleic acid'to the initial mixture permits the use of higher melting point asphalt in the emulsification and produces superficial reaction resulting in films, which are formed about the particles of asphalt. These films are more resistant than a water film and, therefore, add to the non-adhesive character of the emulslon.

After the asphalt emulsion has been thoroughly mixed in the fibrous stock, the addition of the solution of lime, or analogous agent with an alkali tends to coagulate the particles of v asphalt upon the individual fibres, producing a very uniform waterproofing composition when run over a paper forming machine, and dried. The paper forming machine refered to may be of the Fourdrinier-or cylinder type machine, the web being formed in either case by means of a screen either running continuously over a series of rolls or mounted upon a singleroll and caused to adhere thereto and pass therefrom by contacting couch rolls.

The character of 'the asphalt and the degree of incorporation may be varied according to the desired form of waterproofing material and the amount of the waterproofing substances used. The emulsificat-ion of the asphalt and oleic acid mixture with the clay is preferably done at a temperature substantially at or above the melting point of the asphaltic mixture.

As the paper stock with the emulsion thoroughly incorporated therein is run over a pa- 1 per machine, a greater part of the water is drawn therefrom. the sheet passed over driers when the asphalt or other waterproofing substance will re-assume its adhesive na ture and intimately coalesce with the fibrous stock, and flow through the sheet thus producing a very uniformproduct.

I claim as my invention:

. 1. A process for making a felted fibrous composition comprising fluxing a waterproofing substance with a fatty ac1d dispersmg same 1n an aqueous medium by means of an emulsifying agent, mixing the emulsion with a fibrous pulp contained in an aqueous vehicle, adding a reagent to produce an insoluble soap upon thesurface of the particles of waterproofing substance and passing the mixture over a paper-forming machine to'form a sheet-like web.

g 2. A process for making a felted fibrous composition having a waterproofing binder comprising fluxing a heated asphaltlc waterproofing substance with an asphaltsoluble acid and emulsifying the mixture with finely divided colloidal powders held in suspension in an aqueous vehicle, mixing the emulsion with a fibrous pulp in an a ueous vehicle and adding a reagent to prot uce an insoluble soap with an asphalt-soluble acid before finally passing the composition over the paper machine. a p

3. A process for making a felted waterproof fibrous sheet having a waterproof binder incorporated therein, comprising forming an emulsion, in which the binder is fluxed with a fatty acid and the mixture finely dispersed through colloidal clayey particles held in suspension in an a ueous vehicle with the adhesive binder in t e internal and the water in the continuous phase, mixing the emulsion with the fibrous pulp and adding a reagent to produce an insoluble soap with the fatty acid before finally felting the fibrous pulp and removing the water by passing the mixture over a papermaking machine.

4. A process for making a felted fibrous sheet having a waterproof bituminous binder I incorporated therein, comprising fluxing the binder with a fatty acid and emulsifying the mixture with colloidal clayey particles in an aqueous vehicle to produce the finely dispersed binder substance in the internal phase and an aqueous film constituting the continuous phase, thoroughly incorporating the emulsion with a fibrous pulp in an aqueous vehicle, and causing the emulsion to precipita'te on the fibrous particles by adding a pre cipitating agent. Y I

5. A process for making a felted fibrous sheet having a waterproof bituminous binder incorporated therein, comprising fiuxing the binder with a fatty acid to reduce the melting point of the binder and emulsifying the mixture with colloidal clayey particles in an aqueous vehicle to produce the finely dispersed binder substance in the internal phase and an aqueous film constituting the continuous phase, thoroughly incorporating the emulsion with a fibrous pulp in an aqueous vehicle and causing the emulsion to precipitate on the fibrous particles by 120 the addition of a precipitating agent and finally passing the composition over a paper machine.

6. A process of making felted fibrous compositions, which comprises fluxing a waterproofing substance with a fatty acid and introducing an agent to emulsify the mix-' ture, mixing the emulsion thus formed with 4 fibrous pulp contained in an aqueous vehicle,

and adding a reagent to produce an insoluble soap upon the surface of the particles of to form an emulsion, mixing the emulsion waterproofing substance, and sheeting the thus formed with fibrous dpulp contained in 1 mixture on a paper machine. an aqueous vehicle, and a ding a re-agent to 7.. The process of making a felted fibrous produce an insoluble soap u on the parti- 6 com osition, which comprises fluxing a relacles of asphalt, and sheeting t e mixture on tive y high melting point asphalt with an asa paper machine. phalt-soluble acid to thereby lower its meltmg point, and mixing an agent therewith LESTER KIRSCHBRAUN. 

